
DATE: Sunday, November 16, 1997             TAG: 9711170222

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  100 lines

PROPOSED DAY-CARE CHANGES DEBATED THE PUBLIC CAN COMMENT ON SUGGESTED GUIDELINES AT A HEARING WEDNESDAY.

Changes being proposed to the state's child-care center regulations will either streamline or weaken the commonwealth's day-care policies, depending on whom you ask.

The Child Day-Care Council proposing the changes says the new regulations will be more user-friendly for staff and parents. They'll delete duplications and give individual centers more freedom to set policy.

But opponents say the changes, which lower educational requirements for center directors and change some teacher-to-student ratios, will put more children at risk.

People on all sides of the issue will have their say at a public hearing Wednesday at Virginia Wesleyan College in Virginia Beach, one of five hearings being held across the state during the next two weeks.

One of the major concerns opponents have expressed is about the change in the minimum education requirement for center directors. Current regulations require directors to have a college degree or 48 semester hours of college education. The new regulations say directors need only a high school diploma, if they have three years of experience in group child care and one year in a staff supervisory position.

Council members suggested the change because they believe experienced child-care workers have been prevented from moving to the top position because they lack a college education.

Kristin Green, a Norfolk parent of 1- and 4-year-old daughters, believes directors need a college education. A pediatric nurse for the Navy, Green said experience can't replace education. She has sent the council a letter expressing her opposition.

``The directors are key people who are providing vision and direction to centers,'' said Green, whose daughters go to Children's Harbor child-care center in Norfolk. ``Directors need to have a strong background in early childhood education. I feel very strongly about that.''

The proposed regulations also establish a new category, called ``balanced mixed-age groups,'' in which 15 children ages 3-6 can be cared for by one staff person. Current regulations would require a ratio of one staff person to 10 children, the ratio required for the youngest child in the group.

That change will have a detrimental effect on the quality of care, according to Toni Cacace-Beshears, executive director of Places and Programs for Children, a United Way agency that operates five child-care centers in South Hampton Roads. The more children teachers must care for, she said, the less time they have to spend with each child.

The proposed regulations also delete many requirements that the council believes should be left to the discretion of individual centers. For instance, centers would not be required to offer parents information about their purpose and philosophy or to document a child's minor injuries. They also would not be required to allow mothers to breast-feed at the center.

Sharon Jones, chairwoman of the Child Day-Care Council, said the old regulations had become burdensome and intrusive.

``This makes the policy more clear and more concise,'' Jones said. ``The regulations are more user-friendly.'' Jones said she has only received about 10 letters so far during the public comment period. She said she has spoken with parents and day-care staff members who appreciate the increased clarity of the regulations.

Gov. George F. Allen charged the council's members, who are appointed by the governor, with removing parts of the code that he said could interfere in private enterprise and in the lives of Virginians.

In addition to the proposed changes that the council first made last October, Jones said, the council is considering two additional changes to address concerns brought to light in a July study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, a state oversight agency. She said council subcommittees are studying whether to include a regulation requiring that infants be put to sleep on their backs or sides to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Also under consideration is a regulation requiring center staff members to be screened through the state's Child Abuse Central Registry. Currently, only a criminal background check is required.

The 60-day public comment period for the new regulations ends Nov. 29. The council then will consider the public comments before approving a final version of the regulations. If changes are made, there will be a 30-day comment period for those changes. Jones said the earliest the regulations will go into effect is July 1998. ILLUSTRATION: Graphics

PROPONENTS SAY:

The new regulations would be more user-friendly, delete

duplications and give centers more freedom to set policy.

OPPONENTS SAY:

The changes, which affect teacher-student ratios and standards

for center directors, will put children at risk.

TO GIVE INPUT

The public hearing on changes to child-care center regulations

will be held Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Virginia Wesleyan

University, Blocker Hall Science Auditorium, 1584 Wesleyan Drive,

Virginia Beach.

The proposed regulations are published in the Sept. 29 issue of